


The Pureblood Bastard

by TaleFairy



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Drama, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Family Drama, Harry Potter Next Generation, Multi, Murder, Romance, Wizards
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-11-09
Packaged: 2020-12-16 11:15:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21035348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaleFairy/pseuds/TaleFairy
Summary: "My mother always told me that she loved him, my father. But they were different, they were not meant to be.She was a smart Ravenclaw.He was a proud Slytherin.And then, she died."Amethyst Hayes is the daughter of Draco Malfoy, from his affair with Anastasia Hayes, a well-known witch who was responsible for saving thousands of lives in the wizarding world.That is until she died.Now, Amethyst has to move in with her estranged father, her step-brother and his mother, and start her sixth year in a new foreign school, Hogwarts.On top of that, Amethyst is haunted by the spirit of her mother, asking the young girl to seek the truth.Amethyst is now in a new world, with people who don't like her or her family. A world she knows little about, where she feels lost and wishes someone, anyone, would help take away her pain.





	1. A Book, a Train, a Bastard.

_The Pureblood Bastard._

_The Dark Root. _

_The New Troublemaker. _

Those are a few of the nicknames the Daily Prophet kindly arranged for me. 

Now, while I don't exactly blame them, for they have no hand in my family tree, if you haven't lived with me for long don't get scared if you fail to see the resemblance.

From my dark brown curls to my light black skin; from my pride to my light grey eyes... I am what some would call the perfect mix of Draco Malfoy and Anastasia Hayes. 

My mother's past had always been a mystery to me, but I always assumed that her lack of words towards her birth country, England, was a product of her not so good experience with the War. After all, since I was very little, my mother has told me the same story: she grew up in a small house in England, and even though her family is one of the eldest wizard families to settle in England, their fortune wasn't as big. She went to the Hogwarts Institute of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where she dedicated herself to be the best Ravenclaw she could, honouring her family's legacy and later becoming the best Potion Master and Defendor of the Dark Arts the Wizarding World had ever seen.

But it wasn't until the War that she and my father decided to run away. Due to the man's family, however, he had to stay in England. Scared of losing her own family, my mother ran home to find my grandparents and aunt, Gisella, were murdered, and, to avoid the same destiny, a young Anastasia ran to stay at a friend's house in Norway, where she lived until after the War.

It wasn't until she received her first prize as a Potions Master that she returned to England, roughly 7 years after the War, and met the "love of her life" once again. At the time they first met, she was 14; when the war began, she was 17, and, now, Anastasia had just completed her 24th birthday. They talked through letters for a few months before my mother could actually meet him at the Dark Forest, a forbidden place they used as an escape when they were younger.

Then, a scared Anastasia searched for refuge in Brazil, where most of her family studied Potions, Arithmancy and other Arts, the place she would then start her thesis about the magical properties of rocks; and, to avoid the tabloids, seek refuge in until I was born, only to return to Norway when I was two months old.

I don't know much about what happened after, for no one ever bothered to tell me, but what I've heard since I was really young is that my supposed father turned his back on my mother. What people failed to tell me is that this man, Draco Lucius Malfoy, left not because he didn't love her, but because he already had a family of his own, and a son a few months older than the daughter he left.

Since then, the wizarding world treated the Malfoy's as scum, instead of the Kings they once were, and, in my fair opinion, this treatment didn't come unfair, after all the years the Malfoy family dedicated themselves to the Dark Lord himself, Voldemort. 

What really bothers me is that my mother would keep this secret from me, and how it fell on the hands of the Daily Prophet's writers.

My mother, who I always envied for her beauty and willingness to help other people, fell in love with the wrong person, someone she could never have, never help, no matter how pure her heart. This detail didn't fly under the Daily Prophet's radar, for they now question my mother's goodwill and kind heart, a kind heart which stopped beating two months ago. 

Coming back from my friend Dorothy's house, I received an urgent letter from Amber, the woman who gave shelter to my mother when she ran away and turned out to be her assistant and most loyal friend. Amber sat down with me and, carefully, told me about my mother's tragic fate, about how she'll be with me forever, a nice way of saying she's never coming back. As Amber hands me dozens of old letters exchanged between Draco and my mother, and a few more destined to me that contained all the information I would need to keep my life going, she also drops a bomb: my fate is now to move back to her England and live with my father Draco and his family. A Bastard in London. 

The weeks seemed to pass too fast after that, and, roughly a month after, I find myself sitting in a dusty train to London after saying goodbye to Norway and its cold but sweet embrace. 

I fold the newspaper and open my mother's old copy of Hogwarts, A Story. Browsing through the last pages I see how silly Hogwarts must be for dividing its students in houses, instead of age groups. Back in Durmstrang, we were divided by age and, from the 4th grade up, academic grades. But Hogwarts is based entirely on what House you're in as if it could define what kind of person you're meant to be. My mother was a Ravenclaw and spend her entire life studying, my father was a Slytherin and spend his entire life being hated, what if I want something more for my life? What if I want to be a brave Slytherin or a Smart Hufflepuff? Am I not the one who gets to decide my future? 

I ditch the Wizardry and decide to instead distract myself with a muggle book, but as soon as I open it I feel the train slowing down. I glance down at my outfit, appropriate for the not so warm weather of England (thankfully, that's the one aspect of my life which won't be much of a change), but still chilly. I close the book and look through the window, sighing as I see the Station approaching. I have yet to meet Draco Malfoy or his family, only having pictures and portraits from a while ago to ease my anxiety, and I don't really know what to think about them. 

As the train stops, I hold my breath. I slowly get up, walking to the roof rack, grabbing my luggage, three handbags and four-wheeled bags (which will be carried with the much needed help of a cart, since the muggles would die if they ever saw enchanted luggage walking around), which is still a lot considering most boxes from my house back in Norway were shipped to England two weeks ago, and, according to Amber, are waiting for me in my new room.

I ignore the curious looks on people's faces and am shocked to see that a lot of people seem to know who I am. I walk through the Station to the Platform 9 3/4, where Amber said my father would wait for me. I frown as I stand in the exact spot where the platforms 9 and 10 meet, scanning through the people until my eyes land on a white small board hoisted by two hands that reads 'Amethyst Malfoy', making me press my lips in discontent. I am not a Malfoy and they don't get to label me as one. As I walk closer to the board, lost in the sea of people, I finally see them.

A tall, skinny man dressed in a beautiful, sleek black suit, with white-blonde hair and sparkling grey eyes. The other one is also a man... Or, should I say, a boy. The tall boy, not as tall as the man, holds a welcome board and has the same skin and hair as the older man. A perfect portrait of his father, with a little bit more of life in his eyes, while the man's express pure shock... and something else. 

Apparently, he saw me before I saw him, for he walks to me fast and smiles. "Let me help you with these." He says, taking my handbags, but not offering a hug or a handshake, as Amber said would happen. "Amber says she's sorry not to be here, but she'll meet us at home as soon as she can." He says rather kindly, as he looks at the young boy, who hands me a white rose but doesn't dare to say a word. Creepy as hell. "This is... My son, Scorpius." The man, Draco, says, and the boy extends his hand for me to shake. 

I do so, feeling the soft skin of his hand for no more than two seconds before pulling my hand away. "It is great to finally meet you." I say to them, looking down at the rose. 

"It was your mother's favourite flower." He says.

"I know, we had a garden at home and she only cultivated white roses." I reply, smiling at the memory. 

While the boy, Scorpius, studies me, he finally says his first words. "Your necklace." 

I frown, looking down at the golden owl-shaped necklace my mother gifted me when I turned fifteen. "It was my mother's. She gifted it to me when I turned fifteen." 

"I gifted it to her when she was fifteen, too," Draco says. "she gave me one as well, but silver. There isn't a day I didn't wear it." He says, pulling his shirt slightly to the side to reveal a silver necklace on his neck. 

"Shall we go?" I ask. 

Draco, who seems lost in words, guides his son and I to a place shy from public attention, then apparates us somewhere else.

The Malfoy Manor looks much more like an ancient castle than a family home, Draco catches me staring and smiles. "What do you think?"

"It's beautiful." I reply, walking with them to the door. 

As we arrive, a small creature opens the door, a creature I recognize as an elf. I smile kindly at it, knowing that after the law signed in 2000, elves couldn't be kept without payment anymore, and the Malfoy's wouldn't wish to bring themselves into the spotlight for something so petty. 

As we enter the extravagant home, I look around at the various paintings and sculptures of the old Malfoy's that lived here, noticing the permanent white hair and grey eyes. My eyes, for some reason, are more like Draco's, not Scorpius', for his are a dark green kind, while mine are unmistakeably grey. 

Draco asks the elves to take my luggage to my room, and so they do. Before he can say anything else, a tall, slender figure appears at the top of the stairs. 

His wife. 

I don't really know much about Astoria Malfoy (née Greengrass), but, in the letters, Draco and my mother often described her as a cold, calculating woman, whose blood is as pure as her rage is uncontrollable. Rumours say that Astoria and Draco only got married at the end of the war because of their parents, apparently, Lucius Malfoy thought it would be good to present his son as a married man, and, therefore, a new man. But the Fairytale image didn't last long, as Astoria was seen yelling and humiliating a muggle-born witch at a famous House Design store only a few months after tying the knot, ending her good lady facade.

People usually said Draco could simply divorce her, and, according to the letters, he actually thought about it, but, after Scorpius was born, there was no way he would leave the child under the care of its mother.

Astoria's image, though, didn't affect her family's business, for they are the owners of a fashion line that guaranteed she would never have to work a day in her life, and neither would her son. So, after all, her scandalous personality didn't affect her perfect socialite lifestyle. 

Astoria faces me as she walks down the stairs, her body wrapped in a beautiful silky emerald gown, and her golden hair and perfect emerald eyes, which matched the dress, fiercely scanning me. When I look at her, its easy to see who gave Scorpius his green eyes, though, apparently, that is the only part of his mother he inherited, or so I hoped.

Astoria stands in front of me, her perfectly built body making me question why the Malfoy family wasn't bigger, and I'm forced to look up into her eyes as she walks around me, as if evaluating a calf she is about to buy. "You must be Amanda." 

"Amethyst." I correct. 

"Amethyst? What an odd name." She says, in a snarky remark. 

"My mother studied the medicinal effects of precious rocks on human illness. Amethyst became known as the Happiness Rock, for it not only could cure the strongest viral illness but also helped keep Depression patients happy." I explain.

"And the wizarding world shall always remember her commitment to helping others." Draco smiles. 

"Yeah, sure." Astoria rolls her eyes. "Draco mentioned you're sick, is it contagious?"

"I said special, Astoria." Draco corrects. 

"What do you have?" She asks once again. 

"Tetigit Natura, Latin for 'Touched by Nature'. It's a family condition that allows me to control and contact the natural elements and everything in its environment." I explain. "My mother, grandmother and aunts had. It's not contagious, but it can be dangerous." 

"What do you mean?" Scorpius asks. 

"Each nature element is connected to an emotion. Fire is Anger, Water is Sadness, Earth is Happiness and Wind is... Hard to explain." I say low. "If I'm angry, my fingers start transmitting small sparks, which could cause a fire to erupt. It is a similar reaction with other elements of nature." I further explain. 

"That's awesome!" Scorpius says, smiling. 

"And dangerous. You will have to control yourself if you want to live with us." Astoria says. 

I try to "control myself" not to say that I didn't want to live with them in the first place, but because her husband chose to sleep with my mother, I had no choice. "I'll try my best." I say as gently as possible. 

"I'm sure you would want to relax for the night, Amethyst. Allow me to show you to your room." Draco says formaly and I nod, following him through the stairs and hallways of the huge house until a particular hallway. "This is Mine and Astoria's room." He says as we pass the first door. "This is Scorpius'." He says pointing his head to another door. We walk a little more until the last door appears, a beautiful mahogany sculpture with an A in the front. As we walk in, I look around at the boxes and sigh as I think about my old room. It was certainly smaller, but still, it was warmer and comfy, unlike the cold breeze of air I feel as I walk into this room. "Do you like it? I picked the furniture. Well, my mother helped." 

There is no extensive mention of Draco's mother in any of the books I've read, only a few things about her beauty and the fact she's Bellatrix's sister. I always thought she died in the War, but, apparently, she didn't, and she has a great taste in furniture. I'm happy to see some of the furniture from my old room, but not all, since the house is not being sold, for I've decided to keep it in my name. "I love it." I say, truthfully. "Thank you for letting me stay here, I know it will be a big change in your life." I say as I drop my backpack and walk to the amazing queen-sized bed. 

Draco shakes his head. "There's no need to thank me. You're my daughter. I would do anything for you, Amethyst." 

"Just Thy, please." I say as I sit down on the cloud soft bed, noticing a colour catalogue next to the pillow. 

"I didn't know what colour you would prefer your room so I thought it would be better if you picked." Draco explains and I nod. "You pick a colour and place the sticker on the wall, and so it'll be." He smiles. 

"Thank you! That was very thoughtful." I say, smiling as think I can at least keep some memory from my old room. As Draco walks away, slowly closing the door, I call his name.

"Yes?" He asks. 

"My mother really loved you." He smiles a sad smile, but, without saying anything, he leaves. 

And once again, I'm left all by myself.


	2. First Encounters with the Famous Kind

Waking up was never something I was too happy to do.

Back home, I used to sleep for hours and hours and only wake up when mum decided to run up to my room and shake the walls with her knocking until I asked her to stop.

Today, though, I woke up early, with the soft sound of a small fist knocking on my door. Suzy, the elf said was her name. I sigh as I look around, blinking before my brain starts comprehending I'm not home anymore. There are no fluffy pancakes waiting for me in the kitchen, no freshly squeezed strawberry juice... And my mother is dead.

I look at the wall behind me. Sometime during the night, I woke up and frantically searched for something from my old home. I stayed awake for a good 30 minutes and decided to give the wall a personal touch and paint it red, my favourite colour; also hanging a few portraits my mother painted for me when I was younger, and placing a picture of her by my bed, alongside another one of both of us in front of our house. I'm almost sure that was the last picture the two of us took together. It was during a picnic, in late August. 

My chest hurts, small tears forming on my eyes too quickly for me to be able to stop them. I try my best to shake it off. No, no more crying; no more sadness. No more anger. She's gone and no amount of tears will bring her back, right now all I can do is make her proud.

I look through my shelf, grabbing a random book as I walk to the bathroom. I thank Suzy for waking me up and she tells me breakfast will be served in 35 minutes, and Draco is taking me to buy school supplies, which reminds me of my Gringotts Vault, founded by my mother. When she died, our fortune was transferred to England, and even knowing that the Malfoy's money is endless, I still feel like paying for my own supplies is the least I could do after Draco agreed to take his bastard into his home.

I feel the guilt of burden falling on my shoulders as I walk to the tub, still groggy from just waking up. 

Twenty minutes later, I start feeling like a good bath was all I needed to start the day. I exit the bathroom and grab my wand, before being reminded of the dumb fact that I can't perform magic out of Hogwarts being a "minor". The British sure have some boring rules. I proceed with my morning routine the old fashioned way, walking to the closet and grabbing some clothes.

When I was younger my mother told me that, once she died, she wouldn't want me to wear black for a year. Instead, I should put on happy colours and clothes that remind me of all the moments we had together.

I live by what she said now, choosing light, breathable fabrics, proper for a nice day out with the Malfoys, but the clothes leave my mind as a face in the mirror stares me back with fully black eyes. I close my eyes and conjure happy thoughts, opening them to find a yellow-eyed girl staring me back. Well, that's better than nothing.

I remember mother reading to me tales of a condition very similar to mine called Metamorphmagic, although metamorphmagi seem to have more power than I do since they can turn into whatever animal they please, while my transformations are secluded to certain species - usually in accord to the seasons. Apart from that, we can pretty much do the same things: change hair and eyes, grow hair and nails and this kind of stuff. What metamorphmagi can't do, though, is control the elements, so one point for me, I guess.

I chuckle as I imagine the reaction I'll get from Astoria if I change my hair to blue, so, with a smile on my face, I do. I straighten my clothes once again, smiling at the mirror and trying my best to ignore the growing heartache.

After I finish making my bed and putting everything where it belongs, I walk downstairs, catching the scent of bacon and chocolate.

As make my way into the Dining Room where Draco, Scorpius and Astoria are already eating. Draco and Astoria seem to be immersed in their own important conversation, but that changes once Scorpius catches sight of me, a smile forming at the corner of his lips. He glances at his mother, then back at me and, finally, at his plate.

"Good Morning," I announce.

Astoria looks shocked for about half a second, but her shock is substituted by disbelief as her lips form a thin, menacing line. "What the bloody hell have you done? You can't use magic outside of Hogwarts!"

"I can't use my _wand _outside of Hogwarts." I correct her, taking a seat next to Scorpius and starting to help myself on the delicious-looking food in front of me. "My hair is part of my... Illness. That's what you call it, right?" I hear Scorpius trying to choke a laugh and I pat him on the back. "You should try drinking water." 

"Draco, aren't you gonna say anything?" Astoria asks, looking at her husband. 

Draco shrugs, looking at me one last time before looking back at his plate. "You look good in blue." 

I smile. "Thanks." 

"Unbelievable." Astoria mumbles to herself. 

I continue to smile down at my plate before looking at Draco. "So, Suzy said you're taking us to buy the school supplies today, is that right?"

Draco looks up at me and smiles a little, nodding. "Yes, I took the day off, it should be fun."

"Too bad I came right in time for school, I would really like to know how to spend the summer the English way." I mention, looking at Scorpius, who laughs.

"I'm afraid I didn't do much this summer, mostly slept." He says. "And avoided doing the paperwork Miss McGonagall gave us, I have to start now."

"What is it about?" I ask. 

"We're supposed to pick a genetic form of magic. Lycanthropy, Metamorphmagic, Animagic... This kind of stuff." He shrugs.

"Cool, do you want some help? Amber is an Animagus so I can tell you pretty much all about it." 

He smiles. "That would be nice, thanks." 

"No problem, I guess I'll start mine today, then. Wouldn't want to start the year on the wrong foot." I declare, not remembering the mention of any due assignments on my Hogwarts letter. 

Draco laughs. "You're just like your mother."

I smile. "I'm gonna take it as a compliment." 

"And it was." He winks.

I smile at myself, that really sounds like my mother, rushing to get work done as soon as possible. As we all finish eating, I rush upstairs to brush my teeth and grab a coat, before joining Draco and Scorpius by the fireplace. "Floo Powder?" I ask.

"Something wrong?" Scorpius asks with an eyebrow raised, his mannerisms mimic his father's almost identically, but there seemed to be a sparkle of youth and adventure in his eyes, while Draco's where full of wisdom.

"It just makes me dizzy sometimes." I shrug, walking to the fireplace with him. "Do you mind? I have no idea where we're going."

"Not at all." He says, grabbing my hand.   
A shiver runs down my spine. Not in a weird way or anything, Scorpius is my brother after all. But mostly because I tend to limit any unnecessary physical contact, especially with men. I mean, if Draco cheated, and he was married and with a _son_, what type of hard could a boy my age do? I'm sure much worse.

I close my eyes as Scorpius mumbles something and throws the powder on the fireplace, and when I open them again, I find myself in a completely different place and, for the first time in my life, I wish I had eight more eyes, so I could look at all the magnificent stores and showcases around at the same time.

Not much later, maybe a minute or two, Draco appears behind us, letting out a laugh as he looks at my gleefully impressed, almost child-like, eyes. "I had the same reaction when I came here for the first time." He says, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Well, let's get this over with, I have both your supplies lists."

"Dad?" Scorpius starts. "Why don't you take my list and we take Amethyst's? We need to buy more stuff for her anyways, and we meet in two hours at the spot?" 

Draco looks at me as if asking if it is okay. "Oh, I'm totally cool with it, I used to shop by myself back home anyways." I explain.

"Okay, so I'll go get Scorp's stuff. Take care, you two." Draco says, hugging us and giving me a kiss on the forehead. I look at him not knowing what to say or do, my mother used to do the exact same thing every time we said goodbye. 'So that a piece of me stays with you', she used to say.

Without anymore words, Draco goes the other way and I look at Scorpius. "So, where first?"

"Madam Malkin's." He says. "Dad already ordered a full set of robes for you. The other stuff is already ordered too, we just need to pick it up."

This new information surprises me. "Oh... I was actually hoping we could make a quick stop at Gringotts. I would feel better paying for my supplies." 

"Don't be silly." He rolls his eyes. "Dad would never let you do that. But if you insist on seeing your vault we can go there later. Now come on." 

We walk through a sea of people until we reach a purple two-floor shop, decorated with lilies in the front and what looked like a homemade 'welcome' board. In white, it was written 'Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.' As we walk in, I see some girls walking around with robes and circular podiums with kids dancing on top, seemingly trying on different robes. 

Scorpius and I walk to the counter, where an old lady greets us. She knows who we are, and I'm shocked she doesn't seem harsh when she says: "Welcome to Madam Malkin's how can I help you?" 

"We ordered a full set of robes for Amethyst Malfoy a week ago, here's the receipt." Scorpius says, handing the lady a small piece of parchment. She verifies and nods.

"Just a moment, dear, I'll be right back." She smiles, walking away. 

As Scorpius waits by the counter, talking to an attendant who was most obviously flirting with him while organizing a few buttons on the counter, I walk away to see some fabric samples, rushing my fingers through it and smiling as the silky fabric runs through my fingers, the different colours making my eyes sparkle.

"I don't see why I need a new set of robes." A boyish voice complains behind me, making me turn around as a family walks into the store. 

They are five. Two parents, a ginger woman and a black-haired man, both well-dressed and beautiful; a small redhead girl, probably a year or two younger than me, with freckles and a purse that matched the ginger colour of her hair; a boy probably a good 20-25cm shorter than Scorpius, with emerald-green eyes and brown hair; and a tall boy, a little bit taller than Scorpius and probably around the same age, with messy black hair and bright green eyes. This last one is the one is where the complaint came from, and I look at his happy, ordinary family before being hit in the head by knowledge. Potter. That's the Potter-Weasley family. Harry and Ginerva. I think the little girl is called Lily, but I'm not sure. I have no idea what are the names of the two other boys, although I vaguely remember reading their names under pompous pictures taken at Embassy Balls or other Ceremonies in commemoration of their parent's achievements... particularly of his father, the Almighty _Harry Potter_.

"Because you're growing, honey." The ginger woman, Ginerva, says.

"But my clothes still fit fine." He insists.

"You cut the sleeves off your shirts, James." Harry rolls his eyes at the boy, who doesn't look particularly like him apart from the hair. The younger one, whatever his name is, seems to have much more of his father stamped on his face.

James. The name sticks to my brain like gum. James. James Potter. Sounds classy, not so much like he looks.

"They look better, though." James huffs.

The other boy runs to my brother, poking him in the back and giving him a weird handshake as they start talking, much to the attendant's disappointment. I frown, Scorpius talking to Potters? I thought the number one rule of this family was to avoid them. That's what my mum used to say, she never seemed to be Harry's number one fan, but I suppose that's that good Ravenclaw blood in her. And I'm not the only one who seems to find that odd, because as Ginerva talks to the attendant that was flirting with my brother, a tall blonde, Harry observes his son's interaction with Scorpius with mistrust in his eyes.

Meanwhile, the redhead girl walks to the fabric samples and starts looking at them. She's quite petite but now I'm pretty sure she's only a year younger than me. She looks up at me and smiles, waving gently as she goes through the samples.

I smile a little and wave back, going through some red and blue lace samples. Not much time has gone by when a boy approaches Lily, a bored look on his face. "We have to go." He says.

"What? Now?" The small girl pouts.

"Dad is calling, we still have to buy the rest of the stuff." He says.

The little girl nods, walking to her parents. The boy, on the other hand, stands there, his eyes on the samples as his father finishes paying for the robes. As I look up, looking to grab the red sample, his hand brushes over mine and I quickly retreat my hand away.

The boy, James, smiles down at me as his eyes run me up and down, I blush, turning around and immediately walking away to Scorpius, right in time to pick up my robes.

James, on the other hand, has his eyes glued to me as I grab the bags with one hand and Scorpius' arm with the other. He waves at the Potter kid as we make our way out of the shop. 

"Who was that?" I ask.

"Oh, that's Albus. He's a friend of mine." Scorpius explains.

"Isn't he, like, a Potter?" I ask and he rolls his eyes. "What? I thought Draco didn't like them."

"He doesn't, but his war is not mine, nor yours. You should get to know him, he's pretty cool." Scorpius says.

"His brother kinda creeped me out. He just stood there and smiled, and he said nothing." I say, frowning.

Scorpius laughs. "Well, that's the first time I hear that. Maybe he was hitting on you." He wiggles his eyebrows.

"Oh, please. He looked like he wanted to eat me alive! Werewolf style."

"Maybe he wants to." He smirks. 

"Is this what they teach you boys in Hogwarts?" I question, laughing the joke off. 

He laughs. "James is quite the Ladies Man. You'd be surprised."

"I think I've been surprised enough for a while, with seeing them in person and all." I declare. "Where to now?"

"Flourish and Blotts, to get the books."

After a few more minutes, we finally arrive at Flourish and Blotts, a big store with wide windows and a small garden in front of it. The wood seems old but resistant, and it is an absolute mess inside. There are books absolutely everywhere, a few kids yelling and other bugging their parents for books. Suddenly I let go of Scorpius' arm and I get lost in the sea of people, my eyes going wide as I walk to the nearest empty session, which seems to be Culinary, to stabilize my breath and stop my anxiety from worsening.

I rest my head against a shelf, running my eyes through some books as my heart calms down.

That is, until hearing a known voice coming from behind me. "Didn't know Malfoy had a girlfriend."

I frown. "He doesn't. At least I don't think so, I wouldn't know..." I state as I start to make my way outside to wait for my brother.

"Wait!" James exclaims, following me as I walk out, finding my brother, who seem to be once again deep in conversation with the younger Potter brother, right next to James' family. I turn around to face James, raising my eyebrows. "Who are you, then?" He asks, extending his hand for me to shake.

"Amethyst... Amethyst Malfoy."


	3. Red Shoes and a Redhead

Back home, there were only a few things that could get me excited enough to get out of bed, and those were: chocolate, books, music and ballet. 

Ballet has always been my way to express myself. I started dancing in my first year at Durmstrang. It was the only way I could be myself without feeling pushed, without feeling like I wasn't enough or like I had to constantly compete with other people.

Because in ballet, I was the best.

After opening the last boxes in my room, I found trophies, medals and newspaper articles from dance-related journalists, from the time I didn't know who my father was, the time no one knew.

Now, everyone knows. Everyone knows I'm a Malfoy, and everyone hates me. They even hate my mother, who's not even here to defend herself.

Draco felt bad about my situation, he blamed himself and, technically, it is kind of his fault, so he gave me a welcome-home gift (well, another one), and enrolled me in the best ballet school in England, Le Ballet de la Reine, located only a few miles from our house... I mean, the Malfoy Manor.

Two hours before class, I was ready, had a bag with all my stuff and was well fed. It's funny, because I'm sure my father and my brother thought that my excitement was unnecessary, but for the first time since my mother left me, I actually felt excited for something. I felt_ alive_.

Draco and Scorp promised me they would be there on my first day, to see how I was doing, after all, classes don't start for a few weeks, one or two after Hogwarts, and the 'first day' is nothing but auditions, to see who's good enough to be in and who will need to try again next year.

Luckily, after reading today's Daily Prophet, I found out that Rita Skeeter hasn't, as of this morning, been made aware of my love for dance or my possible enrollment in Le Ballet, meaning she didn't write anything about me today, which, quite frankly, only made me more nervous. I mean, she's dedicated her current year to shine the worst possible light on my every move, so what will she write when she finds out?

I tried my best to shake these thoughts off my head as Draco, Scorp and I made our way to our destination.

Le Ballet de la Reine is a prestigious Dance Institute for girls and boys of all ages. Last year they performed Love for Witches and Wizards at the Russian Magic Institute of Fashion, to celebrate their 700th anniversary. If I nail the audition, I can be a professional ballerina by the time I graduate! And travel the world doing what I love, is there anything better than that?

I almost lose my breath when I see the beautiful five-floor building that exhibits the logo of a young woman with a wand, a crown and pointe shoes. I just don't understand how other people don't see the beauty in it. We're wizards, we could do or have anything we want, but we choose to dance, to express ourselves by moving our bodies, and it's insanely amazing.

As we walk in, a young girl dressed in the colours of the Company, lilac and baby blue, greets us with a cold smile and looks down at a clipboard. She doesn't ask for my name. She already knows who I am.

"Go towards the end of the corridor, the stairs will take you to the third floor, first door to the right marked with an A." She speaks in a heavily rehearsed manner, and I wonder how many times she's had to say that today. "You might want to change before the Auditions start, parents and such must wait at the B-room. You'll be able to see her, don't worry."

I know what that means: two-way mirror. The parents, family and probably a few of the teachers will be watching us. Great.

I look up at Draco and Scorp, they smile and for the first time seem excited. I breathe slowly. I've auditioned for parts numerous times, I've auditioned for The Nutcracker three times, twice for Swan Lake, four times for Sleeping Beauty and five times for The Red Shoes, plus once for The Witch and the Frog, once for A Magic Story and once for Love for Witches and Wizards. Out of all of these 17 auditions, I got a principal role in fourteen of them. I know I'm good, I've done this before, but now it doesn't seem the same.

I'm not Amethyst, I'm not Amy or Thy. I'm a Malfoy, and everyone here hates me, so if I fuck up, even once, they'll have one more thing to use against me.

"I'm gonna go change. See you guys later."

Draco leans closer to me, he rests his hands on either side of my shoulders and smiles. "You're gonna do great, dear. I know it."

"Of course she will! You've practiced ten thousand times!" Scorp says playfully. "Good luck, little rock."

I chuckle, I don't really have a problem with the nickname, I just find it weird. I know why he picked, because of my name, but when I think about it, I'm much more similar to a cold, hard and impenetrable object than I would like to be.

"Thank you." I say, shooting them one last smile before walking to the changing room.

When I was 5, I had a small owl called Grace. My mother gave it to me as a birthday gift, and I remember I was so happy that she thought I was smart enough to take care of my own pet. Two weeks later, Grace flew away. I cried for about three days, until one day an old friend of my mother, Lily, came to our house for some tea and gossip. Lily is a muggle-born, she introduced me to one of the best things I had ever seen, The Red Shoes movie.

The Red Shoes is, originally, a magical ballet created in the 16th century in Portugal by a smart witch who was exploring the new lands with the muggles. Legend says that this witch, Rowena, loved to travel, so she went with a man named Pedro on a ship to India, but they ended up finding a county named Brazil. In this country, there was a tree, the Pau-Brasil, that when opened, exhibited a beautiful red pigment that was later used to dye dresses, skirts and shoes. Rowena dyed her shoes red and started creating what would later inspire a muggle movie.

The first time I saw the movie, I fell in love. It has and it will always be my favourite thing ever. I memorized every line, every step of that movie, including the perfect solo. That's why, for today's audition, I brought my lucky red shoes.

After making sure my bun is perfect, I look at myself in the mirror to check my face, my nude lipstick almost matching my skin, so it won't draw any attention. The shoes, on the other hand, are how I expect them to notice me, to notice my movements and my grace, to judge me for my talent not for my family. I hope the judges think like me.

I take a deep breath and look at the clock, I have about an hour and a half to stretch, but knowing most ballet teachers as I do, she's probably gonna be half an hour early, which means I have an hour to stretch.

I walk to the door, my heart beating way faster than I would like. The door is made out of beautiful material, probably cherry-tree, and the doorknob is some sort of diamond-shaped crystal, shiny and pretty. I close my eyes and breath in, saving that moment. I might not get in, I might fail, but I'll keep this moment.

After a few seconds, I open the door, instantly drawing attention.

I feel my cheeks burning, which, thanks to my skin, isn't actually noticeable, but, of course, my 'special condition', had to be part of the situation and I feel my hair slowly turning red. I sigh as I take a moment to make it go back to its original color, dark brown, and walk to the end of the room, sitting down and preparing my red shoes before putting them on, leaving my shoes next to my bag.

Right after, I get up and do some basic stretches, before walking to the bar, starting to stretch my legs and arms, doing the first, second and fifth positions over and over and over, just to make sure I'm well stretched. 

After a few minutes, the door opens again, and, surprised, I look at it to see who's coming in.

At that moment, my face lost all colour.

I'm pretty sure everyone else knew she wasn't supposed to be there... With me. I'm sure she's a good dancer, after all, according to the newspapers she's good at everything, but she shouldn't be here. She can't be here.

I look around and feel everyone looking at us; me, then her, then me, then her again. Her eyes lock with mine before she looks down, her face turning as red as her hair as she places her bag next to mine. I sigh and look to my front, beginning to stretch again.

The girl walks to the other side of the bar, not as far from me as I wished she would be, and no one dares to say a word. I keep stretching, trying to ignore the looks and whispers as a petite girl walks to the redhead and tells her to get away from me.

The redhead shakes her head no, and goes back to stretching, she looks at me for a second and I clench my jaw, facing the mirror that hides our audience. What is my father thinking now?

"Hi." A low voice says and I instantly look at her. The redhead. Was she really talking to me? What's the joke here?

"Hi." I respond, more shyly than I would've liked, my hair turning bright red again, and, once again, I have to turn it back to normal.

She doesn't comment on that. "I'm Rose Weasley." She says louder this time, much more confident.

I nod. "I know..." I mutter. "Amethyst... Malfoy." I get uncomfortable, still trying to get used to the last name.

"I know." She giggles. It's weird, it sounds happy and annoying. If her parents giggle like that then I understand half the hate Draco has for them. "Didn't take you for the ballerina type." She comments.

"Didn't take you for the ballerina type either." I fire back through a plié.

"My grandma's idea. She always wanted to be a ballerina but she didn't have the, uh, traditional body type." She explains, and I nod, understanding.

"So you don't like ballet?" I raise an eyebrow.

"I like to watch, but my moves... They're not that good." She looks embarrassed.

"You should get extra practice." I say.

If she doesn't want to be here or if she doesn't believe she's good, why waste the teachers' time?

"You think I'm wasting their time." She says, and I instantly feel bad. "'Coz I'm not that good. And I agree, but it is really important to my family. You know how it works, my mother is excited and all..." She giggles.

I clench my jaw. I understand, I would do anything for my mother... For my family. "I get it." I simply say, my attention going to her body. "Tuck your tailbone in. Your feet aren't separated enough. Fix your posture and your feet. And there are a few bobby pins in my bag, you can get them and fix your hair, it's messy and it'll look unprofessional."

She looks shocked for a few seconds before nodding and rushing to my bag and fixing her hair in front of the mirror-window.

A few minutes later, a tall blonde lady with a gorgeous body walks in, wearing a baby blue leotard and a lilac ballet skirt with white pointe shoes. She's followed by a man about 10 years older and another woman, much older, they also wear white, baby blue and lilac. They have clipboards and serious expressions.

Rose freezes. She's not at the barre. I snap my fingers and she looks at me terrified, I signal for her to come to the barre right now and turn on a serious expression as the judges stand in the middle of the room.

They don't say anything before each of them walk to a barre and start telling us what to do.

After a while, two of them put the barres away and make us form a line, we walk to the wall and one by one we perform with a randomly selected song. We are organized by last name, so I'm still before Rose, but after a bunch of people. 

"H. Malfoy, Amethyst." The blonde says and a song starts playing.

I recognize it, it's the white swan solo from Swan Lake, I smile, going to the centre of the room and letting myself fly free.

I hear a few claps as I finish, then I look at the judges, whose eyes don't leave me as I bow and walk back to the wall.

Rose goes a few rounds later, she dances to the solo of Red Shoes, which makes me happy but makes her confused, she doesn't know the song or the solo, so she just looks a little lost, but she's not half bad. She could work more on her posture, yes, but she's very pretty and graceful. The problem is her breasts. Ballerinas aren't supposed to have fun bags bouncing up and down as they dance, it's distracting and it can cost you a few points. But Rose is pretty, much prettier than I will ever be, she has a perfectly curvy body and I'm sure a lot of people are jealous of it, but dance just doesn't seem to be for her. I'm sure the judges think that as well as she falls after trying to jump, that will cost her, a lot. 

After Rose, the judges tell us to go be with our families at the cafeteria and eat something as they discuss. I take a deep breath and sit down next to my bag. "I'm a failure," Rose declares as she sits down next to me.

I shake my head. "You're not, you were very good."

"I fell!" She states, blushing.

"I know, but the rest was good."

"They kept staring at my... You know."

"They're... Kinda big and... distracting." I explain, trying my best to be nice.

She sighs. "I know, it's bad."

I shake my head. "I bet a lot of boys like you. I mean, you're very pretty, your body is also. There's nothing wrong with that, it's better than having no boobs at all, like me." I chuckle.

"Oh, don't be like that, you're pretty and probably the most talented dancer in here." She smiles.

"I hope the judges think the same."

"Oh, they will! You were awesome! How about we get a cupcake or a scone?"

I nod. "Sounds perfect." I say as I finish tying my shoes and putting my pointe shoes in my bag. I take some bandaids and hand them to her. "You're bleeding."

She sighs. "It happens a lot, right? I only got to pointe last week." She blushes. "How about you?"

"I got it a year after I began ballet, I was 8. But it was a terrible decision and it ruined my growth." I explain. "Come on, let's get you a cupcake."

Her face lights up as she gets up with me, walking to the door. We're the last ones to exit the room, and there are no parents in the corridor. We take the stairs to the cafeteria, the loud noise filling our ears.

The Potter-Weasley family are the first thing we see. Lots of them. First, I notice her side of the family, Hermione freaking Granger (only one of the best witches to ever live) and Ron Weasley, the Auror, and their other kid, a little boy whom I think is named Hugo. Then, there's who I assume to be her grandmother and grandfather, next to her aunt and her family.

Hermione and Ron are the first ones to run to her, they hug her tightly and walk her to her family as I shyly look for Draco. I find him finally sitting at the only available table, in front of the Potter-Weasley's. They see me and get up, I walk to them and they hug me as tight as they can before we sit down.

"You were wonderful!" Draco exclaims.

"Yeah, I mean I knew you were good, but... Wow." Scorp says and for a second I see him looking at something, or better, someone. He was glancing at Rose, almost drooling as I held in a laugh and look at her, waving gently, much to my father's displease. He doesn't say anything, though.

"I'm gonna go talk to Rose. Albus is there, Scorp, maybe you would like to come, too?" I say and he doesn't even hesitate as I nod.

I walk to the table in front of ours, ignoring the shocked and mean stares her family gives us as Scorp sits next to Albus and I walk to Rose. She smiles widely and pats the seat next to her, which I happily accept. 

"Guys, this is-" She starts.

"We know." Ron says with a clenched jaw. "Harry, you might tolerate your kid's friendship with... _Them_, but I don't."

I blush and look at Rose. "I, uh... I understand, Mr Weasley, I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

"Am..." Rose starts.

"No, Rosalie." Ron says.

I walk to the counter and take a look at the cupcakes, not really in the mood for anything sweet, so I take a green apple and a red velvet frappuccino.

"A red apple and a coffee, please, black, no sugar." A voice says and I hear the money hitting the counter as I look up to see the person next to me.

Great, that's just my luck.

"Hey, there, _Amethyst_." There's a smugness to the way he talks, especially when he enunciates my name.

"Potter." I say acknowledge him, taking a sip off my apple.

"You can call me James." He offers.

"I'll stick with Potter." I say.

"As you prefer, angel."

"Don't call me that."

"Why? You get to call me Potter."

"Potter is your name. We're not close enough for pet-names.

He walks closer to me. "Are we now?" I can smell his breath when he looks down at me and speaks, coffee and mint.

I take a step back. "Your parents are right there and they'll kill you. So will my... Father."

"I doubt that, but if you insist." He backs off. "I just wanted to apologize for my uncle, he's a little bit short-tempered. You know, redheads can be fiery."

I nod. "It's cool I don't mind." I shrug. "I have to go." I say as I see the blonde judge coming into the room and sticking a paper to a wall.

"Good Luck, angel!" He yells, loud enough for everyone to hear, making my hair turn red as I walk to the board, Rose quickly joining me.

"I'm so sorry..." She starts.

"It's okay, Rose, let's just pray our names are on that parchment." 

"So, what's up with you and James?" She asks, her tone suggestive.

I frown. "Nothing is up with me and James."

"Oh please. He hasn't taken his eyes away from you since we walked in, and I saw the way you were looking at him just now."

"Bullshit." I roll my eyes. "What about you and my brother?"

She blushes, her face almost the colour of her hair. "Uh..."

"Exactly." I chuckle. "Come on, let's take a look."

We rush to the list and look through it, Rose shocked as we read the names.

She got in!

And so did I.


	4. Thick Cigarette Smoke

First, a couple of days went by.

Then a week.

Time seemed to be slipping through my fingers. No matter how hard I tried to hold onto it, it was like holding water.

By the end of the week, Scorpius was begging me to go with him to Albus Potter's birthday party. Meaning, I would have to endure 4 or 5 hours of being isolated in a corner, eating cake and finishing a Jane Austen novel while the other kids (you know, the ones who hate me) danced and laughed inside their perfect Gryffindor bubble. I can't imagine Albus would ever understand that feeling, given his perfect boy image, but for Scorpius and I? Absolute torture. Luckily, my half-brother seems to be able to endure pain much better than I ever could.

The fact that Albus Potter's birthday party was only one day before classes start made me sick to my stomach, but, after a whole week of sighing and saying no, I decided to give in to Scorpius' wishes and agreed on attending the party with him. After all, I might as well get a taste of how my Hogwarts life will be like and definitively decide whether to flee the country or not.   
  
I bet it will be super fun.  
  
\-----

The night before the party, I went to bed hoping that, somehow, magical rain would start pouring down from the sky in a tempest-like manner, so that I could have a legit excuse not to attend the outdoor party. But, as always, the desires of a young black girl were denied, and, as the shiny rays of sunshine seeped through my window, I was forced to get out of bed.

The first sound of the day came from the door, where a tiny creature, Suzy, announces that the party is in two hours, and I should get a bath and get dressed before joining my family on the breakfast table. 

Yesterday, I went shopping with Scorpius, trying to find the perfect gift, deciding to give Albus an elegant set of writing quills, ink and a beautiful leather-cover diary.

Slowly, I get up from my cosy fortress and walk to my window, finding a new edition of The Daily Prophet, brought to me by Nymeria, Scorpius' owl. I don't really have an owl, nor do I want one. I've always been more of a cat person anyway, but Scorpius is fascinated with owls and magical creatures in general, I'm sure he'll be a great researcher someday, and I sure hope he's smart enough to follow his dreams.

As for me, I don't really know what I want to do with my life. I mean, sure, I wanna dance, and I wanna write, and dedicate myself fully to the arts, but the amount of people who actually succeed in following impractical dreams is very (and I mean VERY) little, and I'm fully aware of that. Sure, I exceed in Defense Against the Dark Arts and, obviously, Potions, and I am a very dedicated student, dedicated to the point I can get, at very least, an Acceptable grade. Of course, to my mom, being "acceptable" was never really an option, and even though she never made that clear, I know she expected great things from me. As her parents expected from her.

As I go through the pages of today's Daily Prophet, most of them dedicated to the tremendous fact that Albus Severus Potter is turning 16 years old (wow, such news!), I start seeing that the feeling of emptiness that filled my soul wasn't from being hungry, but from the fact that, finally, the realisation that my mother isn't coming back to pick me up from my father's house truly kicked in.

I hold my tears and clench my jaw as I reach for the small velvet bag near my bathroom sink, grabbing it and letting myself sink into the bathtub, the arm holding the bag falling out of the border as I close my eyes and hold my breath, not wanting to feel anything.

When my instinct of survival finally kicks in, I'm forced to sit up, my lungs aching with the sudden release of pressure and my eyes burning with the feeling of water and salty tears. I use one of my hands to wipe the water off my face, taking a few seconds to regain control of my breath, before opening the bag.

A lot of people think that narcotics were invented by muggles, even some wizards have trouble understanding the purpose of holding a lit cylinder between your lips, or the satisfaction that it brings; but the truth is, Emelia Gerard, a witch from the 6th century, found an old tribe who smoked the purest form of tobacco, giving her the idea of creating a device that helped witches and wizards everywhere experience the "miraculous healing" of what would then be called a cigarette by muggles, and also receive a ton of toxic substances added to the addictive nicotine used by wizards.

Of course, for us, the name is "smoke tobacco" or simply "smoke", and has far less toxic substances, but it _is_ addictive nonetheless. However, unlike in the muggle community, smoking is seen as a sign of weakness between wizards, and, even if it is, it's one of the things that have been keeping me alive after all this mess.

I use my "gift" to light one of the smokes, closing my eyes as I rest my head against the tub and let my arms fall, almost reaching the floor.

After the cylinder converted to a smaller version of itself, I'm taken by the realization that I should be getting ready for the party, and, when I'm ready to leave the tub and find a towel, a small noise coming from the door makes me turn around, covering my breasts.

"Draco?" No answer. "Scorp?" No answer. "Suzy?" Still no answer.

But, when the noise stops and a thick smokey mist runs through the room, taking the form of a bloody, beaten face, my body tells me to run away, and, even though I know I'm fully capable of getting up and running downstairs, two things stop me:

1\. I just might slip on the trails of water that my feet will leave on the smooth ground.

2\. the mist has a voice, a crystal clear voice.

_Amy... My baby... Come find me. Come back to me._

And just like that, I'm able to recognize my mother's face.


	5. Party Beasts

Ten minutes pass.

Then half an hour.

I finally stop staring at the bathroom door and walk out, not bothering to grab the towel.

Should've grabbed the fucking towel.

"Oh my...!" I scream, hiding my private parts with my hands. Meanwhile, a very red Draco covers his eyes and turns around, stuttering like a third-grader after being caught smoking under the bleachers.

"I-So-" He manages to let out, shaking his head as hard as humanly possible.

I run back to the bathroom and grab my towel, trying to get my heart to go back to beating normally before walking out again. Not surprisingly, my father is gone. 

I shake off the embarrassment and start getting dressed. I spend about 30 extra minutes looking for something decent to wear, my mind subconsciously drifting to all the possible turnouts my chosen outfits might insure. If I wear something too long, they'll call me a prude; too short and I'll be labelled a slut; green and there'll be Slytherin pride involved; blue and there'll be Ravenclaw comments, or worse: comments about my mother. I look at a beautiful red dress my mother made me about three months before she passed. I always thought that dress was a weird gift given I probably would never risk going to a social situation that required me to wear something that cute, mostly because most of my social situations included staying home eating Chinese takeout and reading, and that mostly required sweatpants. 

I honestly loved the dress. It's not too long or too short, it has a pretty classic skirt and long sleeves, and it has the advantage of being safe, given most people at the party are current or former Gryffindors, and I believe they will all be wearing some sort of House Pride attire.

I slip the dress on, looking at myself in the mirror. It hides everything I need to hide, all the things I hate. Perfect.

I slap some makeup on my face and make my curly hair go back to its original dark brown, though I can't do anything about the mess of it. Being mixed-raced might be the main reason why my hair is always so out of control, taking whatever shape it desires independent of what I think. It gives me personality, my mother used to say.

I proceed to walk downstairs, finding everyone having their late breakfast. Scorp, as always, seems to sense my presence, and his eyes find me pretty much as soon as I enter the Dining Room. "Look who's all dressed up!" He comments.

I roll my eyes. "Wouldn't want your dear friends to judge me."

"Really? Is that the real reason?"

I mumble a quiet 'shut up' before sitting down and looking for something that isn't covered in chocolate.

I grab a toast and some eggs and try to eat them peacefully while simultaneously avoiding my father's eyes. I also try not to stress about the fact that in only a few minutes I'll be thrown into a cage full of lions.

"That is a very _interesting_ dress." Astoria comments between bites of grapefruit.

"Thank you. My mother made it for me. I never actually got to wear it." I shrug, choosing to avoid the critic undertones of her voice.

"She must've been a very... open-minded person." She continues, chuckling a bit to herself.

I throw her a cold smile. "She was. Open-minded enough to never even think about insulting or slut-shaming another woman. Especially not a dead one." I get up. "Now if you excuse me, I've lost my appetite and I'm going to brush my teeth."

I walk back to my room, stopping in front of the mirror to check my dress. It doesn't matter if I show up wearing a Potter Pride t-shirt and a lion hat, they'll judge me as soon as I walk out of the house. So if the dress is, in Astoria's words, too "open-minded", will that even matter?

I shake my head, the dress is not revealing. At least not revealing for a birthday party. I definitely own much more risqué outfits... Astoria probably just wants to mess with my head.

I brush my teeth and retouch my makeup, well, my lipstick, before walking back downstairs.

Scorpius meets me at the top of the stairs, his tall frame smiling down at me. "Don't mind her, I think you look quite well, little rock." He playfully punches my arm, before offering me his. "Shall we, my lady?" 

I laugh. "We shall, my good sir." Truth be told, I'll never be able to express how grateful I am to have my brother's friendship. Merlin knows life here would be a hell of a lot harder without him by my side.

"Okay, you two. Are you ready?" Draco asks, putting on a coat. 

I nod. "Yes... Astoria not coming?" 

Scorp shakes his head. "Nope, she's not big on birthday's... unless is one of our own."

"Not surprised, but... I think it's a bit hot for a coat." I mention.

Scorpius shakes his head. "Don't bother, Thy. He enjoys looking business casual no matter how many degrees are waiting outside." 

I laugh. "Well, then. Everyone ready?" 

They both nod. Draco calls for Suzy, the house-elf, and she soon comes walking down the hall with our gifts on her hands. She smiles up to us as we get them. I smile back, she's a very sweet creature, I wonder how long has it been since she first started working for the Malfoy family.

We step outside, finding out it might not be too hot for a coat, but it is definitely not cold enough for one. Walking to the stables, we grab our brooms and again I'm found wondering what is wrong with British wizards.

I mean, leaving them in the stables? Is that even safe? I do know that they stay locked and only a few people know how to unlock those doors but it seems like a weird thing to do. What if you're in a hurry? Oh, sorry, have to go to the stables in order to get the fuck out of here. Merlin.

It is not, surprisingly, a long flight. The Malfoy Manor seems to be way closer to the metropolitan magical world and the more rural areas than the Potter's home. As we arrive, the music is the first thing to be distinguished amongst the sweet breaths of wind rushing through the trees.

I smile as I look around, a magical little place, amidst the countryside of England. Malfoy Manor has a forest surrounding it and is a big piece of land, but this place is a completely different thing. It's like a tiny piece of heaven in the middle of miles and miles of grass.

"Cool, huh? It used to be a farm back before the Weasley family bought it. It was attacked during the war but it was soon restored. They call it the Burrow." Scorp explains as we set foot on land. "It used to be much cooler, according to Albus. There's a forcefield now, no muggles can see it." 

I look at it, a large and tall irregular building, that looks about to collapse at any second. It almost surprised me that the Potters wouldn't hold the party at their home, but I suppose since Albus' mother is a Weasley, this place is better for a family reunion.

"Looks really nice... cosy even." I mutter, smiling as the scent of hot tea and pancakes hits my nose.

I shake my head, my brain is probably just making connections to my old home, and that's the last thing I need. A chill runs through my spine as I think about the sweet siren-like voice and the bloody steam face... I don't have the time to think about this, I'm here to at least try to have fun. 

"Well, let's go, then." Scorp says, bringing me back to reality.

We walk over to the fence and Scorp quickly pushes it open, with such ease that it makes me question how many times he's been here.

We walk to the door and Scorp takes it upon himself to knock very loudly. In no time, a tall man answers.

I blush, looking down after noticing the warm orange hair that is the first signal to spot a Weasley. The man in question is very tall and has a huge scar where his left ear should be. I hold myself not to curse. The man who was responsible for cutting off this man's ear was none other than Severus Snape, my late mother's favourite professor, who is also deceased. In her sixth year, rumours began spreading throughout Slytherin that my mother was having inappropriate relations with a professor, and everyone pointed their finger at Snape. Her eyes still watered when she told me this story, years later. 

I take a deep breath. It's weird how the smallest things trigger memories from moments I had with her. Moments that I considered to be small or sad and can't even bring myself to remember until I see something like that.

"Oh, well... Hello. Welcome." The man, George Weasley, says awkwardly as he gestures for us to go inside. "You can leave your coats in the closet, the party's in the backyard." He explains, before walking away. 

"I'll get the coats, you kids go have fun." Draco smiles softly down at us while he gets our coats. 

I look at Scorp, waiting for instructions on how to proceed. "Come on, I'll introduce you to everyone." He grabs me by my hand and drags me out of the house. 

As soon as we walk past the back door, it feels like the music stops.

It doesn't actually, of course, but the adults slowly notice us coming, which results in a sequence of heads snapping at us and grown people, as well as children, pointing and whispering. "Scorp..." I whisper, my hair burning red for a second. "I can't... Scorp, I-I can't..."

"Hey." He looks into my eyes. "It's going to be okay. They're all bark, no bite. Come on." 

We proceed to walk to the table where Albus is sitting with his parents and others. Most people our age are having conversations while sitting on their tables but I suppose the birthday boy had to spend at least some time with his family. Albus is not so hard to find, he seems uncomfortable around his own people, something I can definitely understand. 

When Albus' eyes catch us, or should I say, catch Scorp, his once uncomfortable bright green eyes lit up like an enchanted candle. He quickly gets up and runs to us. "You came!" He says, happily hugging his best friend.

"'Course, mate. Thought I'd miss your sixteenth?" Scorp chuckles, lightly tapping Albus' back. Albus quickly glances at me, sending me a smile. "Oh, right! You two haven't been properly introduced yet. Albus, this is my half-sister, Amethyst. Little Rock, this is my best friend in the entire fucking world, Albus." He laughs.

I smile shyly. "Nice to meet you." I say, handing him the gift. "Scorp talks about you a lot."

I giggle as I see Scorp's ears turn red. "I do not."

"He does." I whisper, smiling.

"Oh, I'd talk about myself a lot as well." He winks at me, making me laugh louder. "You didn't really have to buy me a gift, though. But thank you very much."

I nod. "I thought it'd be nice. My mother used to say you should never show up to parties empty-handed." I shrug.

"I'm sorry for your loss." He says, sincerely. 

"That's very kind. Anyways, I hope you like it." 

We start walking back to his table. I politely greet his family. Hermione Weasley and Giverva Potter answer, even though the latter didn't seem too happy to see me. Albus excitedly opens the gift and I look at him, waiting for a reaction. He seems to love the engraved set of quills, claiming he always loses his, but, as he is about to thank me. 

"Is this some kind of joke to you?" Mr Potter, his father, asks, holding up the leather diary.

"I-I... I don't know what you mean, sir." I say, blushing as hard as I can and taking away the brown colour of my hair with it.

"A leather diary? THIS leather diary? What a nice gift, huh?" He chuckles dryly.

I start mumbling excuses for whatever reason. "She didn't know, Harry." I hear a strong voice saying behind me utter. Draco.

"Malfoy. I should've known you were involved in this. She really is your kin, after all. For fuck's sake." He shakes his head, walking away from us. 

I look down, breathing heavily and fast. I feel my hands heating up, and I don't know if that reaction reflects anger or embarrassment. Maybe both. I clench my jaw. "Hey, I'm sorry for my dad, he's a bit-" Albus starts.

I shake my head. "Where's the bathroom?" I ask.

He quickly explains and I nod, getting away from that situation as quickly as possible.

I run to the bathroom. Not bothering to push the door with my hands because my anger can do it. I hear noise and don't really care about it. I shake my head as I look up into the mirror. My hair is a mix of red and blue, and my eyes are definitely about to water. Crying while angry seems to be a family problem, and, even though I know what I feel is not only anger but rather so a mixture of different feelings that go from anger to sadness, annoyance and back to sadness.

I just can't understand how these people can walk around on their high horses and treat people like that. It's disgusting. They treat me like dirt because apparently my father did the same to them, and though I understand where they are coming from, I'm just so tired of all of this. It's like everything and everyone seems to be against me. From my mental illness to my mother's death, leaving the place I called home for so long and having to move in with strangers, it all just seems like too much.

I hear a soft knock on the door. "It's full!" I say, in the calmest way possible, unfortunately when my voice hits my ears all I hear in it is pain. 

I hear a chuckle. "I know." A voice says. "Are you okay?" 

I nod, before realising the person can't see me. "Uh, yeah."

"Hey, mate. I can't see you right now but from what I saw out there, you're not okay. Can I come in?" 

I frown, I don't even know this person. "Sure."

I turn around as I hear the door being opened, then closed. As I look up, I see a tall boy... well, man. He seems to be in his early twenties at best; has cool blue hair and crazy gold-ish eyes. He smiles down at me. "Hi. I'm Edward... Lupin. You can call me Teddy."

Edward Lupin? Harry Potter is his godfather, I am sure. And I'm also sure Remus Lupin was his father. Which means Nymphadora Tonks was his mother... my grandaunt killed them.

"I'm Amethyst... Amethyst Hayes... well, uh, I suppose it is Hayes-Malfoy now." I blush, looking down. 

He smiles. I look up at him one more time, what could he possibly want? Is he going to hurt me? "I'm not here to hurt you." I frown. "I don't read minds either." He chuckles. "I just saw what happened and wanted to apologise on behalf of my-, of Harry. He basically raised me, but I have to admit him and Ron have absolutely no patience. I just... I heard what he said. And Albus told me how he and Ron behaved at your audition and, well, someone has to apologise. I mainly wanted to know if you were okay, though." I nod slowly. "Are you? Okay, I mean. I practically saw fire coming out of your hands." My eyes go wide. "Don't worry, it wasn't showing. My grandfather was like you. Naturalis, right?" I nod. "You don't talk much, do you?" 

I nod and he laughs. "Sorry, I was just confused as to why you of all people would check on me. But thank you, truly." 

He smiles. "No problem. Hey, open your mouth." I frown. "I'm serious. Pretty please?" I do as he says and he places a dark square on my tongue. I almost laugh. "Better, right? My father used to say chocolate makes everyone feel better." 

"He was correct." 

"Ready to walk out there?" He asks and I look into the mirror one last time before nodding and following him out. 

As we reach the outside world once again, I'm shocked to see Albus, Scorp, Rose and James standing there, waiting for us. My hair blushes as Albus and Scorp switch their worried looks for ones of malice. "Looks like we were all worried while you were having fun." Scorp laughs. 

"Teddy was just checking to see how I was doing if you must know." I roll my eyes.

He smirks. "I'm sure he was."

"I'll see you out there, sweetie." Teddy jokingly says before walking back to the party, James following right behind him. So much for being worried, huh? 

After I reassure them that I'm alright, Albus and Scorp leave to sneak some beer, leaving me with Rose. "So, you and Teddy, huh?"

"Don't be silly, Rose." I roll my eyes. "He's like 20."

"And he's newly single. He and his girlfriend just finished things off a few weeks ago."

"Rose, I honestly don't care. Why don't we take our energy to the dance floor?" 

"Now we're talking!" 

We dance a few happy songs, and Albus and Scorp even join us. I smile as we all dance together. This feels nice, not forced or anything. However, as soon as a slow song starts, Albus makes sure to leave before being snatched by his mother and Rose and Scorp awkwardly pair up. I'm ready to leave when someone grabs my arm. I look behind me to face a set of curly blue hair. "Shall we?" 

I chuckle. "We shall." 

Teddy is much taller than me, which is not hard, with my pathetic 162cm, but he manages to place his hands on my waist and I on the back of his neck as we swing calmly. I've done the pas de deux before, but this feels much nicer. "You're looking better." He comments, his face seemingly permanently stuck on an optimistic expression.

"Dancing makes me feel better." I say. "Sorry, this sounded way flirtier than intended."

"I don't mind. Kinda helps me, to be honest." He laughs.

"Sorry?" 

"My ex-girlfriend is here. She dumped me. It's silly but I still miss her and-"

"You want to make her jealous." I nod.

"That's not why I asked you to dance with me."

"Even if it was, I don't mind. Is she looking?" He nods. I put my head on his chest. "Hope she doesn't murder me."

He laughs, pulling me closer before the song comes to an end. We walk to an empty table and sit, starting to chat. He tells me to check out the girl in pink sitting across from our table and tells me that's his ex. I nearly choke. "Your ex is Victorie Delacour?!" 

He nods. "Yup."

"Dude! She's like the best soloist at the French Wizard Ballet Company! Her mother is a legend, she's France's best prima ballerina ever."

"I guess, yes." He chuckles.

"If I just killed my chance at having connections for your ass I'll end you!"

"Ouch, way to hurt me, babe."

"I'm gonna need a drink after this."

"There's whiskey inside. I can get you a glass if you want." He offers.

"My hero." I say before he winks down at me and walks off. 

Soon enough, another person sits beside me. I look up to see James, pouring himself a drink from a red and gold flask. "Having fun with your boyfriend?" 

I chuckle. "If you're referring to Teddy, you're delusional." 

"That's what he said when I asked him." He chuckles bitterly. "You Malfoy's are all the same."

I ignore the sting on my heart and focus on the one done to my ego. "Listen here, you overly-spoiled-golden-boy-wannabe, if you must know, Teddy was feeling bad for being dumped and I was helping him make the girl jealous. Now, yes, it was childish and even though I might have ruined my dance career I don't mind because he's been kind to me. Now, if you have an ounce of respect in you I ask you to either forget I exist or stop treating me like shit like 98% of your family."


	6. Dance it Out

I retired to the furthest table in the backyard, not wanting to share the company of the others, fearing it might bring down the happy atmosphere of the party or of my peers.

A few moments after I've begun enjoying yet growing tired of my own company, someone covers my eyes with their hands and I'm taken aback. I start frantically shaking my head. "That's not funny!" I say, my hands reaching my face to try and take the hands off me. 

"Sorry, I'm sorry." A peal of laughter hits my ears as the hands leave my sight.

I turn my head around, my now free eyes meeting those of a giggly Teddy Lupin. I roll them at the young man. "God, you're a child." I mutter, crossing my arms.

"I am?" He asks as he sits in front of me. "Don't make me feel bad about giving you liquor, kid." 

"Kid? Thanks, mate. Real nice of you." I respond, shaking my head. "Did you find it?"

He nods. "Here. The answer to all of your problems." He says, placing a half-empty bottle of firewhiskey and two glasses on the table.

"Oh, how I wish it was." I smile. "But it'll do. Thanks, Teddy, you're not as annoying as you seem, you know?"

"You're okay too, kid." He laughs, shaking his head.

He pours each of us a glass and we make a small toast to "the happiest people at this party", while we watch everyone giggling and running around, the day not even close to its end.

-

Half an hour passes and after my third glass I know not much is going to change in my humour, so I interrupt Teddy through his drunk speech about how much he loved his girlfriend (well, now ex-girlfriend) and get up to get some water for both of us. 

All of a sudden, the party seems to notice my still being there and the curious stares follow me all the way to the refreshment table. As I arrive, my hair now red due to the overwhelming attention, I find two paper glasses and fill them to the brim with water. "You look good in red." A sweet, low voice says. 

I look up, my mouth drying as I meet the eyes of Victorie Delacour Weasley, her stunning blue eyes piercing my soul. She might be the most beautiful woman to ever give me the time of day, and I'm taken aback by her casual compliment. 

At that moment, I feel plain, simple. I feel like her beauty could devour me at any second, so I just stand there for a few seconds, the words struggling to leave my mouth. Finally, I'm able to return to my body and pray she didn't think me rude. "Thank you, miss Delacour." I simply answer.

"Oh, call me Victorie. There's no need for such formalities... or to be afraid. I won't bite. I promise." She giggles. "Teddy might, though. Sorry, that is a joke we used to make when we were together, I wasn't being mean."

"Well, I'm sure this wasn't the worst one." I smile. "It is quite easy to make fun of him."

"Isn't it? I guess you'd know that better than I do, now." She shrugs.

I look at her, my hair deep in red, and though she doesn't seem the least bit affected by Teddy and I dancing together, I feel the need to apologise, so, as per usual, I stumble over my words. "Oh! No, Teddy and I- We aren't- I'm not-" I shake my head frantically. 

She smiles. "Yes, my dear. I know. I asked James earlier, for he seemed to think the same thing. I just wanted to make sure it was not the case, I guess I was afraid of being so easily replaceable."

I look at her in shock. Victorie Delacour, the youngest soloist in the last 100 years, genuinely thought she'd been replaced... by me? "He could never replace you, believe me. I mean, your fouettés are more famous than I could ever hope to be!" I exclaim, immediately regretting embarrassing myself in front of her, but I suppose it is too late for that.

"Oh, you're a fan of ballet?" She asks, sipping her drink.

I nod. "I guess you could say that. I was just accepted into the Le Ballet." I answer, trying to hide my excitement.

"Really? I studied there! My uncle was talking about how proud he was his little girl got in, I was shocked, you see, for I never thought she was very good and that is a very prestigious school, but I guess the Weasley name can get you far nowadays. That's why I never used it, I never even used Delacour, only after I was promoted at the company." She explains. 

I nod. "I can understand, though in my case using my father's family name would get me in more trouble than good, and my mother's isn't as respectable as it used to be." I try to smile, remembering her. 

"Oh, my dear. I'm sure your mother was terrific. Come, come, you must meet mine, she'll want to see you dance, for sure!" She says, grabbing me by the hand in impressive french fashion. 

I look at the table I once sat at with Teddy. The empty bottle is there, and a very tired Teddy retires back into the house. I sigh in relief, at least he's okay enough to walk on his own.

Victorie walks me to a small circle of adults, chatting. Once I get closer, I start to notice their faces.

The magnificent Fleur Delacour, all dressed in white; her husband, respected curse-breaker, William Weasley; the strong personality of Hermione Granger was impossible to not notice, but luckily her husband didn't seem to be around; and another Weasley brother, Percy, the head of the Department of Magical Transportation.

Victorie touches my arm softly and smiles at the group. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Amethyst." I don't even bother to ask how she knows my name, doesn't everyone?

I smile as best as I can. "Nice to meet you all." 

"Bold of you to make mates with your ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend, Victorie. I see your parents raised you well." Percy says, sipping his wine.

I blush. "Oh, I'm not-"

"You muzt parrdon -im, chérie. -e dozn't know -aht -es zaying." Madam Delacour says, in a heavy accent. 

"It is no trouble." I sincerely say.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Amethyst. I trust you are alright?" Hermione asks, smiling.

I nod slowly. "Yes, Mrs Granger, I'm quite alright." 

She smiles. "You can call me Hermione, though I appreciate the Granger. How about your family?"

"They're all just fine, Scorpius is very excited to go back to school."

"And how about you?" She asks.

I ponder. "Less excited, more scared. But I suppose that's normal." I deflect. 

"Oh, you shouldn't be, Hogwarts is a fantastic place. And knowing your mother I'm sure you'll excel at everything." William casually comments, before derailing his words. "Oh, I am so-"

"You knew my mother?" My attention is now fully on him. 

He smiles kindly and nods. "She taught me a trick or two." 

"Trry ten! Your mather waz wonderrful!" Fleur says.

I smile. "Thank you, Madame Delacour."

"Oh, no, chérie, Madame Delacour waz my mather. Call me Fleur." 

I nod, chuckling. "Oui, Fleur, il est!" 

She gets excited. "Oh! Tu parle français?"

"Oui. Mais j'apprends encore." I answer, shyly.

"Mère," Victorie starts. "She is a dancer! Le Ballet!" She tells, smiling. 

"Oh, I muzt zee yo-u dawncing, zen! Miss Belle told me zhe batch of girrls for this zeason is astonizhing!" 

I blush. "Well, I don't know about astonishing, but, I can hold myself up that's for sure." I chuckle.

She smiles. "Oh, chérie, don't sell yourself so zhort, that zchool wouldn't let you through the door if they didn't see potential in you, of that I am certain." She says, a hand on my shoulder.

"Thank you, that is so kind of you, Fleur." I say, holding back my tears at the motherly affection.

Suddenly I feel a voice behind me. "Sorry, guys, can I borrow her for a second?" I turn to see Rose, who looks agitated.

"Excuse me." I say, going with her. "Rose, is everything okay?" She drags me into the house and I immediately panic, thinking about how drunk Teddy seemed and how much of a horrible friend I am for leaving him behind. "Oh, my. How is he? Is he feeling alright?" 

"More like an idiot." A voice says, and I look at Rose, who's disappeared, before noticing who said that. 

I clench my jaw. "James. What is this about?" I cross my arms.

"I... I want to apologise. No, I need to. I was a wanker. I didn't mean to, really, I was angry and-"

"Oh, you were angry? That's your excuse for offending my family?" I let out a dry laugh.

He shakes his head. "No, I didn't mean for it to come out as an excuse. I'm sorry, that's all I wanted to say."

"That's nice, James, really, but you were right. Maybe I am much more like the Malfoys than I ever thought I was, but that cannot be all bad. I just... I don't think we should keep contact, you know, with your parents hating me and all." I shrug, turning around and ignoring his calls for me as I walk away.

As I get out, Rose, Scorp and Albus immediately reach me. "My brother's a tosser, don't mind him." Albus says.

"I don't, not anymore, at least." I say sincerely.

"Well, you're just in time for the cringe-fest, our family has officially opened the karaoke stage!" Rose says, way too excited.

I chuckle. "Dear Merlin, I can't wait." I say as they drag me to one of the tables, them all being a little far from the stage, yet still allowing anyone to be able to see whoever was singing.

"Oh, shit. This is going to be good." Scorpius says and I finally look up, my heart beating fast as I see James hopping on stage with an acoustic guitar in hand. I blame my excitement on the alcohol and shake the thoughts of him out of my mind.

"Didn't know he could sing." I simply say.

Albus smirks. "Mother always makes him record our holiday carols, it's hilarious." 

I chuckle. "At least he can sing, right? Won't be too cringy."

He starts playing some simple notes on his guitar, but it is only when he starts singing that I truly listen to the song: One Day at a Time by Nature's Calling, my favourite song. "_Darling it hurts, I know it hurts,_ _but life needs to take you_ _one day at a time, don't rush, don't rush,_ _just trust yourself with this, one day at a time, you'll get by, you'll get by..._" 

My body gets up before my mind can process what's happening and I walk a few steps closer to the stage, between the tables and the stage, and I move. I just move. No one around me, just me, my breath and my feet touching the cold grass, my arms moving as if I could fly.

The song is long, about six minutes, but it passes so fast I'm confused when my body stops moving. Then, a round of applause erupts and I look up at James and do the same, surprised to see him standing only a few centimetres in front of me, he had left the stage.

He leaves his guitar and walks up to me. "I knew you were talented, didn't know you were surreal." 

I blush. "Thank you, Potter, you're not too bad yourself." 

"Does this mean you forgive me?" He asks, his hand scratching the back of his neck.

I shrug. "It means I'll try. I mean, this is my favourite song after all. And my favourite band." 

"I know..." He chuckles and I frown. "Your brother."

"That sneaky little snake." I shake my head. 

"I'll owe him forever, to be honest." He smiles.

I look down. Maybe the Potters weren't all bad.


	7. News-Flash

Morning rolls in as usual. Birds sing outside my window and the sun blinds me even through the thick shades.

I get up and rub my eyes, looking to my bedside table to find dirty makeup-soaked cotton pads and a bottle of headache medicine; I thank my best judgement for thinking ahead of the consequences of drinking with Teddy, and wonder if he also remembered to take some medicine or if he's struggling with a brain-smashing hangover. 

I promise myself to write him as I leave my bed and twirl through a large selection of carefully organised bags, only to be reminded that today is the day we leave for Hogwarts; suddenly, my headache comes crawling back and I'm sure it isn't because of the alcohol. 

I reach the bathroom and check myself in the mirror. The large bags under my eyes not only suggest drinking and getting home late but are also a sign of my current struggle with insomnia; thankfully, those can be easily covered with makeup. I have a few spots and pimples around my face, which is not surprising, and my hair seems to have taken upon itself to go back to its original colour, the darkest of browns, borderline black, that I associate with my dear late mother. I smile, deciding to keep it this way as a good luck charm. 

I finish my morning hygiene pretty quickly and grab a silk robe, gifted to me by my father, which, according to him, used to belong to my grandmother, whom I have yet to meet. After wrapping the robe around my body, I make my way down the stairs, finding a grumbling Scorpius almost face-deep in his oatmeal. I chuckle. "Good morning, everyone." 

His eyes snap at me and he stares me up and down. "How are you not dead inside? You drank much more than I did!" 

"I'll pretend I did not hear that." Father says, looking up from his paper. He smiles as he sees me. "Good morning, darling." 

"I know my own limits, dear brother. Perhaps you should learn yours." I say, jokingly punching him on the arm as I sit beside him. I search through the table for some fruits and vegetables and place them in a cup. "Father, could you mix this for me? My wand is upstairs." 

"And you cannot use magic outside of Hogwarts, right?" He says, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, of course." He smiles to himself as he mixes the ingredients in the cup. After it is done, I hand it to Scorp. "Drink it in one sip, you can plug your nose with your fingers if it tastes too nasty." 

Scorpius looks at me with suspicion in his eyes but drinks it anyway. He looks absolutely disgusted as he places the cup down, the drink halfway gone. "What in the name of Merlin is this?"

"Muggle magic, my mother taught me. Now, come on, drink it." I say, rolling my eyes.

He does as I say, but looks to be absolutely in pain as he is doing it, I can't help but find it extremely amusing. 

"Good morning." Says the charming voice of Astoria as she enters the dining room, a smile plays in the corners of her mouth as she carries a copy of The Daily Prophet. After a second glance, I realise it is, in fact, a smirk. "I just love catching up on the daily news, don't you all?" She doesn't wait until one of us has replied. "Have you checked The Daily Prophet today, my dear Amethyst?"

I frown and glance at my father, he looks emotionless. From the way she says my name, I can assume it is not good news. My heart aches at the idea of The Daily Prophet slandering my mother once again. "Is it about my mother?" I simply ask. "If it is I do not wish to read it, I don't have any reason to believe they'll have retracted their last statements on her." 

She hands me a sickening smile. "Oh, no, no, no. It is much better than that. Here, have a look for yourself." She sits directly in front of me and hands me the paper. 

I glance at the cover for a few seconds, speechless. There, in the front page, I read about Hermione Granger Weasley receiving an award; the Diagon Alley's business seems to be thriving more than ever; and, near the top, right next to a picture of the Potter-Weasley family, are Teddy and me dancing. Underneath, in bold screaming letters, I read **_"LONDON'S NEW GOLD DIGGER."_**

I freeze, my eyes starting to water. Merlin be damned! Can't these people leave me alone for just one second?! I open the paper, searching for the article and quickly finding it, the picture of Teddy and I dancing now showing us laughing, his hands on my waist. 

_"by Rita Skeeter _

_Last week, I brought to my distinguished readers' attention the many theories surrounding both Amethyst Hayes Malfoy's birth and her mother, Anastasia Hayes', death. However, today I bring you something even more worrying: is the pureblood bastard developing a sickening new plan to steal away the spotlight and fortune of Teddy Lupin? Or is she only looking to anger the boy's heroic godfather, Harry Potter? This we may never know, but from the picture, we can tell Amethyst has surely used her charms (and Merlin knows what else) to woo the young Lupin. Oh, if only he could remember what her family did to his parents..._

_I'm sure more of this hot story will develop soon, as Amethyst and her half-brother Scorpius are set for Hogwarts today, this being Amethyst's first time in the great wizarding school. What evil deeds do you think she is planning next? Well, this I do not know, but if I were McGonagall, I'll keep her far away from the Potter-Weasley children."_

I clench my jaw, my pain turning into anger as I hand Astoria back her paper. "Thank you for bringing this into my attention, dear." I smile, making myself a plate full of fruit and heading upstairs to my room. 

I lock the door behind me and place my hand on my heart, my breathing unstable and my lungs on fire. 

That sneaky, lying bitch! How could she? How could they? What do they want from me? What do they wish me to do? Tears stream down my eyes as I let myself fall on the floor, strawberries and mango cubes surrounding me. I cry silently and rest my head on the cold floor, wanting to scream but not having the strength to do so. 

A slow knock disturbs me. "Don't want to talk, dad." I say, as calmly as possible. 

"Not dad. Just the other blonde weirdo." Scorp announces. "Open up?" 

"My wand is too far away... Don't wanna get up."

I hear the door opening and he carefully walks in. "It's alright, it unlocks from the outside as well. Just didn't want to invade your personal space and all that..." He shrugs, running his fingers through his hair. 

I smile, my back against the cold foot of my bed. "Thanks, weirdo." I quickly wipe most of my tears off. 

He sits next to me. "You know she's just trying to get to you, right? This is exactly what she wants." 

"Who? Rita or your mother?" I let out a dry laugh.

"Both." He says, wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "But that's okay, you know why?"

I decide to entertain his train of thought. "Why?"

"Because soon we'll be far away from both of them, in Hogwarts, where they can't really reach us. And you'll make new friends, you'll meet our teachers and if anyone even thinks about messing with you they'll have to go through me first." He says, flexing his other arm. 

I laugh. "My hero."

"At least I made you laugh, little rock." He messes my already messed up hair, ignoring my protests. "You know I don't only call you that because of your name, it's also because you are so goddamn strong. You left your country, your culture, your home, your native language, all to get in a train to meet a bunch of people you'd never even heard of and was just supposed to accept as your family. It's okay if you're struggling, you're human as far as I know, but at the end of the day you've already done something most people are too scared to even think about." 

I hand him a genuine smile before hugging him. "Who would've thought you'd have so much wisdom in you, huh?" I laugh. 

"Hey! I am a fountain of wisdom, just so you know." He winks at me. "Now, come on, we have to get ready for a whole year of learning!" He says, fake excited.

I shake my head. "You're impossible, but thank you, really. I'll try my best not to let them get to me, and it's good to know at least I can count on someone." I say, getting up. "Could you tell dad that my things are ready? I'm just going to take a quick shower."

He nods. "Will do. I'm sure he'll be as shocked as I was when I walked in here to see you've decided to travel with _everything you own." _

"Hey! I'm only taking what's extremely necessary." I wink. 

-

After exiting the bathroom, I choose a navy-blue knee-length skirt, a black sweater, black boots and my family necklace. I tie my hair in a high ponytail, letting my natural colour and curls shine around a blue hair ribbon. I grab a coat and make my way downstairs, exiting the house to find a big horseless carriage waiting for me. It almost makes me want to laugh since I hadn't seen one of those in ages and this one had the Malfoy family crest on it. 

The luggage seems to already be stored in and father, Scorp and Astoria wait for me. "Everyone ready?" I smile.

"As ready as I'll ever be!" Scorpius jokes. 

I smile at him and we make our way in as I look up and hope that my mother can hear me. 

_"Wish me luck." _I whisper.


	8. Firewhisky Buddies

The station was packed.

Not surprising given London at any time of the year is swimming with tourists from all corners of the world, but especially now, when it was time for the muggle children to start their classes at their elite private schools. I remember my mother telling me about tales she had heard from muggles and their schools, how they learned things we, as wizards, couldn't even imagine. 

Mother was fascinated by muggles. She thought them dangerous, yet intriguing, with their weapons of mass destruction that could wipe out all life on earth and their funny customs, she told me such stories that made me laugh and cry, and I read so many of their tales growing up. 

My favourite ones were Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. It made me laugh how muggles had such a strange and far off idea of magic, how they portray their characters as either bad guys or good heroes, no in-between. 

We swayed through the sea of muggles as Dorothy did through the munchkins, and father stopped me for a second to ask me if I knew what to do. I nodded and followed my brother to platform 9 3/4.

The platform was overflowing with wizards, and more arrived every second. I stopped to have my jaw drop at the sight of the enormous queue in front of the train. I tap Scorp on the shoulder. "If you hadn't insisted on getting yourself these disgusting-looking muggle treats we wouldn't have to wait in line for so long!" 

Scorp rolled his eyes. "You won't complain once you try Doritos." 

I shook my head in disbelief, staring at the bright red bag he waved in front of my face. The conductor moved through the children to get into the train, and a loud noise let us know the train will be leaving in less than 10min. 

"Alright, time's up." Father says, getting near both of us. "Have fun and beware, both of you. And Scorp, take care of your sister."

I scoffed. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much." I state.

He smiles. "I know that, but care is never enough. And you make sure to keep an eye on this one and see he doesn't get into too much trouble." 

Scorp faked a gasp. "Excuse me? Are you insinuating that _I _will misbeheave?"

"You are friends with that Potter boy, aren't you?" Astoria chimed in. "Try and make better friends this year, my dear boy." She says, hugging her son.

"Yes, mother. I will try." Scorp says, winking at me. 

Father looks at me with a curious face, as if to ask if it was okay if he did the same. I nod and he approaches me, pulling me close to his body in a warm, bear hug. I smile. "Good luck with her without us around." I joke.

He laughs, without letting me go. "Thanks, I'll need it." He pauses for a second before breaking the hug but not letting me go entirely, instead placing each hand on my forearms and looking me straight in the eye. "Have fun, okay? And don't let them get to you. I know how brave and strong you are, you can do this."

I nod, biting my lips in an effort to not allow tears to roam out my eyes. In a last goodbye, I quickly hug him again before leaving with Scorp and waving to Astoria. Surprisingly, she waves back, albeit reluctantly. 

The line, by now, is much shorter than before, with double the staff members checking tickets at the door to speed up the process. Scorp and I are able to walk in pretty fast, walking around the wagons in an attempt to find an empty cabinet. 

"Hey, Malfoy!" A known voice screams from behind us.

Scorpius instantly turns around and is greeted by a red-faced and out of breath Albus. The pair hug. "Did you run a marathon, mate?"

"I was trying to catch up with the pair of you because you didn't hear me call you before." He says, placing his hand on his heart. "Hey, Amethyst!" He smiles. 

I smile back. "Hey, Albus! How was the rest of your vacation?" I laugh as he gives me a tight hug.

"Veeery exciting." He chuckles, elongating his vowels. "The gang has found a cabinet and is looking for you guys, we saved you a seat. Rose can't wait to see you, neither can James." He winks at me. 

I playfully punch his arm. "I'm sure they can't. Come on, then, show us the way."

Albus and Scorpius walk side by side in front of me, and I take the time to glance at the other students in their cabinets as we walk by, most of them notice me and start talking amongst themselves, I blush. 

Finally, we arrive. Albus opens the door and walks in. Inside, are Rose, James and two people I do not know. One of them has long blonde hair and appears to be a boy, the other, a short pink pixie cut and appears to be a girl. They instantly quit their conversation as we walk in. 

"Amy!" Screams Rose, coming forward to smother me with a hug.

I chuckle as I hug her back. "Hey, Rose. I missed you too. Where are your family? Your brother and cousins?"

"Hugo is with his dorky friends playing chess, Lily and her girlfriends are somewhere I couldn't care less." She chuckles. "Let me introduce you to some people! This is Xena, she's from Sweden and is a very good friend of mine."

"Hello!" The girl with the pixie haircut says in a heavy accent. "It's nice to meet you!"

"You too, Xena, I'm..."

"Oh, I know who you are, silly. You're practically famous." She laughs to herself. "I apologise if that was rude."

I tell her it wasn't and that I am used to it. 

"And this is Xander, he's her older brother." The boy smiles at me and I smile back. "And, well, you know that dork."

James' eyes pierce through my skin, he looks as if he was eager to speak. "Been a long time, huh?" He smiles.

"Ages." I reply, putting my hand out for him to shake. 

"What are you, business partners?" Albus asks. "Hug him, you doofus!" 

I blush but step forward as he wraps his arms around me. His tall figure hovering over mine and my head fitting perfectly on his chest. He smells of ginger and firewisky. "Have you been drinking?" 

"We were playing Never Have I Ever!" Xena says. 

I nod. "Oh, makes sense." 

"You wanna play? We should keep playing!" Rose suggests.

"Uhm, I don't know, guys... What if someone catches us with booze?" I say. 

"That's what curtains are for, sweetie." The boy, Xander, finally speaks. 

I mentally facepalm then nod, we all laugh. 

I sit next to Rose and Xena, while the boys sit opposite to us. "Okay, who wants to start?"

Xander immediately raises his hand. We give him permission. "Never have I ever been sexually attracted to a family member." I hear Albus mutter 'fuck' under his breath, both he and Scorp take a shot. 

My eyes widen. "Calm down, sis, it's not you." Scorp says, laughing.

"It better not be." I say, between laughter. 

Now it is Xena's turn. "Never have I ever fantasized about someone on this cabinet." 

"What kind of fantasy?" Albus asks. 

"Romantic." Xena clarifies. 

I smirk and glance at Scorpius, who blushes and extends his hand to take a shot. I cross eyes with James, who smirks at me, his hand half-reaching the bottle, and I blush. Before they, and anyone else for that matter, have the chance to drink, we hear a knock on the door. Rose immediately gets up and goes check, while Xander hides the bottle and shot glasses in his coat. 

"He-" Rose's cheerful hello is cut short by whoever is on the other side of the door. 

Whoever it is, the person places a hand on the door and I see very pretty, well-manicured, blood-red nails forcefully opening the door all the way. Rose steps out of the way and I can finally see who acted in such a rude manner. 

Three girls about my and Rose's age enter the cabinet. The first has pale white skin, freckles, jade eyes and auburn hair, she stands in the front and has a menacing look. She seems to be the leader of the pack. 

The second, right behind her on her right side has skin a shade or two darker than mine, long brown hair that seems to reach beyond her waist even in a ponytail and very deep chocolate brown eyes. 

The third, standing at auburn's left side, has short, although not as short as Xena's, pitch-black hair, a terrible-looking fake tan skin and piercing blue eyes.

The leader of the pack, jade eyes and auburn hair, makes her way to James and promptly sits on his lap. I glance at Rose, who has now sitten back down next to me. I whisper carefully. "Who is this?" But before she has the chance to reply, auburn hair begins to speak. 

"Jamie-bear, I missed you so much his summer. My fingers are absolutely nothing compared to you."

I nearly choke on my saliva at her boldness, my hair turning a deep shade of red as I catch second (or perhaps seven) hand embarrassment. 

The two girls who accompanied Auburn turn their attentions to me, smirking and looking me up and down. I try to avoid their gaze. 

James carefully gets up, as to get the girl off his lap. "Alice, I don't wanna have this conversation again, especially not here. We're over, you can either deal with it and move on or..."

"We're over when I say we're over, and we are _not _over." Her voice is mellow and sickly sweet, yet threatening. "Don't tell me you've forgotten me, don't tell me you've forgotten what I can do..." 

"I think you two need some space, maybe we should all leave..." I start, gathering my things and getting up to head to the door. 

"And who the fuck are y-" Auburn, or better yet, Alice, begins before her eyes finally focus on me. Her jade eyes are deep, and they seem to burn holes into my skin when she finally recognizes my face. "Well, well, well, if it isn't... What was it again?" She glances at one of her friends for context.

"The pureblood bastard?" The one with the long hair in a ponytail suggests. 

Alice shakes her head. "No, I was more thinking, 'The Golddigging Whore'." She spits at me.

"That's enough, Alice. You and your friends need to leave." James says, standing beside the door and holding it open. "Besides, we have no room for the three of you anyways. There's only one seat left."

"Oh, I'm sure the little whore and her freak of a brother can go find another cabinet. Maybe if she's lucky she'll even find Teddy's cock to bounce on, if he hasn't upgraded back to Victorie yet."

I clench my jaw, anger getting the best of me and tears starting to form under my eyes. 

"Oh, Al, she's gonna cry!" The black-haired one says. 

I turn my head to face Rose, who places her arms protectively around me. "You heard my cousin, you three trolls need to fucking leave!"

"Feisty! Has someone gotten a girlfriend she needs to protect, huh?" Alice teases.

"I will not touch you because my father taught me better than to put my hands on a woman," James begins. "But you need to get the fuck out of here, Alice, before I call someone. Now." 

Alice smirks. "This is not over, baby. And you-" She points her perfectly manicured finger at me. "-you're gonna have a lot of fun this year."

They leave and shut the door behind them as I sink to my seat, breathing heavily.

Is there still time to get off the train?

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story I originally published a long time ago in another platform, Quotev, but I am currently making a move from there and will be uploading all my content here from now on. Thank you for understanding, I hope you enjoy and forgive the cliches!


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